If you’ve ever been to New Life Fellowship Church, chances are you’ve walked across something Kendall Pugh quietly held maneuver — a campus detail, a system, a ministry, or maybe even the folks directing parking lot traffic. He’s the guy behind the scenes, the one who makes sure the lights come on, the rooms are clean, the Wi-Fi actually works, and that there’s a smiling volunteer waiting to greet you.
Officially, he’s the Director of Business Administration and Operations. Unofficially, he’s the glue.
Related posts
The fixer.
The “Hey, Kendall, can you…” guy.
He oversees marketing, human resources, finance, IT, facilities, security, medical, the church bookstore, and — just for fun — about a hundred volunteers across eight ministries. Two staffers help him hold it all together, though he’d tell you it’s God, not Google Calendar, that keeps it running.
And he’s only 29.
When he found out he’d been named to the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce and Arlington Today’s “40 Under 40” list, his reaction was somewhere between disbelief and laughter.
“I was like, wait, me?” he said. “In church administration, you don’t really expect recognition. Most people don’t even know what we do.”
They just know the graphics magically appear on the screen and the chairs set themselves up.
Then he saw the other names on the list — city leaders, entrepreneurs, educators — and it hit him: the work mattered.
“It meant a lot because the church is part of the city,” he said. “Especially in South Arlington. Our mission is to invite people to follow Christ — and administration plays a quiet but essential part in that.”
Pugh joined the church staff after college, working for Uplift, New Life’s nonprofit outreach to Arlington schools. He coordinated mentors, tutoring programs, and career days before shifting into marketing and special projects. Eventually, he found his calling not in the pulpit but in the planning.
“To work in ministry,” he said, “you’ve got to have a servant’s heart. You have to understand that this isn’t about you. It’s about helping something bigger than yourself move forward.”
He laughs when he remembers how much of church life runs on spreadsheets and grace. Take the Transform Women Seminar. It’s technically not an admin event, but everything from the marketing to the room setup to the social media coverage all comes through administration. They’re like the pit crew that keeps the car running while everyone else gets to drive.
Pugh’s degrees — business administration from Stephen F. Austin, an MBA from LSU Shreveport — equipped him for the analytics. But leadership, he says, requires a different kind of learning.
The growth trajectory for Pugh has been understanding what it means to lead without being in front. When you’re younger, you think leadership means being the loudest voice. Now he sees it’s about working hard so others can succeed.
Of course, working with his father, Dr. Maurice Pugh – the senior pastor – adds another layer. “It’s unique,” the younger Pugh said with a grin. “My dad’s my hero. I grew up watching him shepherd this church, not just preach on Sundays. Now, getting to serve alongside him — it’s humbling and surreal.”
Still, Pugh is a millennial with a business filter; I can imagine ideologies clashing at times. Pugh agrees but says the give-and-take has strengthened their bond.
“At the end of the day, there’s mutual respect,” said Pugh. “We both want the same thing — for New Life to grow and for people to be changed.”
Pugh knows that while he’s the one handling business, it’s really heart work you don’t do for applause. You do it because you love the people and the purpose.
“This year, I finally feel like I see the big picture,” Pugh said. “Dad started this church 22 years ago with a vision. My role now is to help carry that vision forward.”
